She Never Cried In Front Of Me
by SavannahNicole
Summary: After breaking Orihime's heart two years ago, Ichigo attends her wedding to Ulquiorra for closure, but will the wedding open more wounds than it close?


_Seven thirty-five_

_She's someone else's wife_

_Now I can get on with my life_

_And that thrills me_

"I know pronounce you man and wife. Mr. Cifer, you may now kiss your beautiful bride," the minister, an old man with gentle eyes and white hair, said with a smile. As the new couple leaned in for their first kiss as man and wife, the room erupted in cheers.

At the back of the room, behind a decorated pillar, stood Ichigo, who smiled at the clock as it read 7:35 pm. He was convinced it was over now, he would finally be able to move on with his life, and he would finally stop thinking about the sweet, bright-haired woman he let out of his life.

_She married him today_

_Her daddy gave the bride away_

_I heard a tear rolled down her face_

_And the kills me_

"Ooh, I don't know if I can do this!" Orihime stared panicking, pacing back and forth, not paying attention to the swishing of her dress. "I mean, what if the mob shows up, and, and then aliens came with their UFO, or what if we all turn into robots?"

"Orihime, calm down," Tatsuki demanded, placing her hands on the nervous bride's shoulders.

"But, what if-," she started before Tatsuki interrupted her.

"Do you love him?"

"Of course, I love him," Orihime answered without any hesitation. "What kind of question is that? He means everything to me. He was the one who comforted me when Ichigo," she paused, "did what he did. You know, I almost invited him," she confessed.

"You did?" Orihime nodded.

"I decided against it though. I wasn't sure I could handle it. Plus, I didn't want to upset Ulquiorra. It might have made him mad," she frowned.

"You couldn't upset Ulquiorra if you tried; besides, after knowing him for two years, I've never even seen him mad, at you or anyone. I'm beginning to think it's impossible to upset him," Tatsuki said coming to internal conclusions, but shook them out of her head. "Come on, cheer up, it's your wedding day. It's supposed to be the happiest day of your life," she smiled, playfully nudging Orihime in the arm. "I think it's time to go. Besides, you better smile; I'm wearing a dress for you. I wouldn't do that for just anyone."

"Thank you for being my maid of honor, Tatsuki," Orihime said beaming.

"Well, you are my best friend," she said giving the bride a hug. "Now, hurry up, or you'll be late for your own wedding, and Ulquiorra will think you got cold feet and come back here, and we don't what that, do we?"

Orihime laughed. "I guess you're right. Let's go."

The music began and the wedding party went down flowered path, one by one, and when the bride's tune started, Orihime pulled down her veil, fiddled once more with her dress, and finally walked herself down the aisle. It was Ulquiorra's only request in the planning of their wedding; for no one to give his bride away.

If anyone had looked at Ulquiorra the moment Orihime came into view, they would have seen an uncharacteristic smile on his face, but Ulquiorra had nothing to worry about, because all of the guest's eyes were on Orihime. The only person who was looking at him was his bride, and his smile made her feel so happy, knowing she was making the right decision, that she couldn't help but to let a tear roll gently down her face, and all Ichigo could do at this point was frown at the sight of her.

_Cause now I_

_Can see why_

_She's finally cryin'_

"Aw, how perfect! Toshiro, did you see?"

"See what, Hinamori?"

"She was crying! She was so overjoyed, she started crying; it's so romantic. You should start paying attention more," she chided.

"You can't see that, her face is covered by a veil," Hitsugaya insisted.

"If you were paying more attention to her face rather than a different part of her body, you could see through the veil."

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya whispered wide-eyed and blushing.

_ So she was crying. Heh, she must be happy, and I guess this is what she deserves after everything I put her though_," Ichigo mused silently.

_How was I supposed to know_

_She was slowly letting go_

_If I was putting her though Hell_

_Hell, I couldn't tell_

_She could've given me a sign_

_And opened up my eyes_

_How was I suppose to see_

_She never cried in front of me_

Ichigo knew he was there to close a chapter in his life that he wasn't proud of, but he hadn't expected to take a trip down memory lane as Ulquiorra and Orihime began to recite their vows.

"_Ichigo, where have you been? It's one in the morning," Orihime said groggily as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and rose from the couch. _

"_I was out, Orihime," he said, not wanting to elaborate, but Orihime wanted answers._

"_Where Ichigo?"_

"_It doesn't matter, Orihime."_

"_Ichigo, where?" Orihime insisted._

"_it doesn't matter. I was just out," Ichigo said, raising his voice._

"_What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Orihime frowned. "We've been together for two and a half _years_, we _live_ together, you asked me to _marry_ you. Does any of that matter? Does it matter to you at all?"_

"_Why do you have to start this now? Can't this wait until the morning?" Ichigo asked trying to avoid discussing his whereabouts._

"_Like you waited until one in the morning to come home? Did you notice anything when you walked in?" Orihime asked fanning her hand around the room._

_ Then Ichigo noticed._

_ The drooping balloons that had lost most of their helium, the streamers that were beginning to fall due to the weakening of the tape holding them together, the banner that was only being help up by one side while the other fell toward the floor, and, finally, the melted candles surrounded by untouched steak and potatoes._

"_Aw, crap," he muttered turning to the woman who did it all, "Orihime."_

"_Yeah, Happy Birthday, Ichigo; hope it was everything you wished for." She turned to leave, but he caught her arm._

"_Orihime, I didn't think we were going to celebrate it this year because we didn't celebrate yours," Ichigo tried to explain._

_ Orihime pulled her arm loose. "We weren't here for my birthday. We went to visit Soul Society that week, and you forgot it anyways. Matsumoto reminded you the next day," she disagreed._

"_Oh, yeah, that's right. You spent your birthday with Ulquiorra," he said the name with disgust. "And you're upset with me?"_

"_Ichigo, I spent my birthday with a roomful of people, even Captain Kuchiki was there, for a minute anyways," she paused, "In fact, the only ones not there were you and Rukia."_

"_Orihime," he started before she said it out loud._

"_That's where you've been," she accused, "she's back in town on a mission."_

"_You think I would do that to you?" Ichigo asked as if she offended him. Before she answered a vase of white roses caught his eye. "Who sent you those?" he asked, his voice now accusing._

"_Ichigo, those have been there for days."_

"_Of course, it was him, wasn't it?"_

"_It's not like that. We're just friends," she tried to reason._

"_Why is he giving my fiancée white roses?" Ichigo demanded, slamming his fist on the counter. _

_ Orihime flinched."He was helping me with something," she said quietly._

"_Then why are you getting flowers if he was helping you?" Ichigo asked convinced she was lying._

"_He went with me to the flower shop to help pick out flowers for our wedding. I figured he'd tell me the truth about whether the ones I picked were ugly or not," she said frowning. "You said you didn't want to pick out flowers; that it's a girl thing, but I needed a guy's opinion."_

_ "That still doesn't explain why-"_

_ "We were looking at roses, and next to each color was a card that said what the color was supposed to represent. When he saw the white ones, not only did it remind him of Hueco Mundo, where our _friendship _started,-"_

"_Oh, that's romantic," Ichigo scoffed._

_ Ignoring him, Orihime went on. "The white roses are supposed to mean innocence and purity. He said they suited me well, and bought me a vase of them. They were friendship flowers to us."_

"_I doubt you're still innocent and pure when it comes to him," Ichigo said, officially accusing. "You yourself said you guys were alone several times in Hueco Mundo."_

_ Without thinking, Orihime struck him across the face. Regretting it immediately, she gasped, "Ichigo, I-"_

"_I'm leaving. Don't wait up," he said, shoving past her, and walking out the door, both knowing he won't be back tonight._

_ The second the door clicked shut, Orihime grabbed the vase of roses, and threw them across the room, glass shattering everywhere, before collapsing in tears. She grabbed the phone and dialed the number she knew she shouldn't be calling, but needed nonetheless._

"_Woman, do you know it is one thirty-six in the morning?" Ulquiorra asked when he answered the phone. "Just because I don't require sleep doesn't mean you don't," he said starting a lecture on sleep and its importance for humans, but paused to let Orihime at least say hello._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, Ulquiorra. I forgot it was so late. I'll call you another time," she said still crying._

"_Woman, don't hand up this phone or I'm coming over," he threatened. "Why are you crying?"_

"_Ichigo. He left, and-" she stopped herself. "Never mind; I shouldn't have called you. I'm sorry." Orihime hung up the phone, and pulled her knees close, and broke down into tears again. She didn't notice the Garganta appear or the man step out._

_ Ulquiorra surveyed the surrounding area, including the shattered glass, and his deep frown deepened._

"_Woman, what happened here?" he asked staring at her._

"_Ul-Ulquiorra! What are you doing here?" she asked, jumping to her feet and wiping her eyes._

"_I told you not to hang up the phone," he said simply._

_Yeah, maybe, I might've changed_

_It's hard for me to say_

_But the story's still the same_

_And it's a sad one._

Ichigo was still thinking back to the night it all started to snowball downhill until the minister announced the couple as man and wife. When everyone filed out to attend the reception, Ichigo decided he'd go too, as secretly as possible, just so he could say he saw it to the end. Ichigo thought he was cloaking his spiritual pressure well, until Ishida showed up at his hiding place.

"What are you doing here, Kurosaki?" he asked pushing his glasses up.

"I thought it'd be a good idea. I suppose you could say closure or something," he said frowning.

"Is it working?" he inquired.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked, dodging Ishida's question.

"Just about everyone knows you're here," he answered boredly.

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, mouth gaping.

"You're not very clever," Ishida said frankly.

"But no one's said anything, so they can't know," Ichigo tried to reason.

"No one is going to," Ishida pointed out. "No one knows if Orihime's noticed or not."

"Ulquiorra would've said something to me. He would be over here trying to force me to leave or something," Ichigo said confidently.

"Ulquiorra isn't like you. He actually cares for Orihime and her feelings," he disagreed, bluntly.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Ichigo asked, offended.

"Why did you and Orihime break up?" Ishida asked unable to hold his curiosity any longer.

Ichigo paused for a minute. "I guess I changed; what I wanted changed."

"What did you do?" he asked more specifically.

"Are you sure you want to know? It's not a happy story," Ichigo offered, but Ishida met him with silence.

_And I'll always believe_

_If she ever did cry for me_

_They were tears you couldn't see_

_You know the bad ones_

"I had started cheating on Orihime with Rukia, and I got caught. Me and Rukia were having dinner and when we left, she kissed me. We started making out on a bench, and Orihime happened to pass by. She didn't cry or look upset when she confronted us though, so I figured she didn't really care, and she'd just cheat on me with Ulquiorra in retaliation. It didn't bother me. I knew they were together already, so I just continued on my date," Ichigo smiled. "I guess I was right."

"Actually, you're wrong. Orihime and Ulquiorra didn't get together until three months after you guys broke up."

"She went to him that night; I know she did," Ichigo insisted.

"She spent the night crying on his couch. Ulquiorra called me and told me to come over with a movie and some popcorn," Ishida explained. "I also brought some red bean paste," he added as an afterthought.

"Nothing happened for three months?" Ichigo asked dumbfounded.

"Yeah," Ishida confirmed as he left Ichigo alone with his thoughts.

_Cause now I_

_Can see why_

_She's finally cryin'_

Ichigo frowned as he watched Ulquiorra wrap a pale hand around Orihime's waist, and the two began their first dance. Her eyes watered up again as they continued, and a few escaped, causing Ichigo to wonder if she ever cried happy tears for him.

As Ulquiorra gave Orihime a twirl, Ichigo thought back to their last moment together.

_How was I supposed to know_

_She was slowly letting go_

_If I was putting her though Hell_

_Hell, I couldn't tell_

_She could've given me a sign_

_And opened up my eyes_

_How was I suppose to see_

_She never cried in front of me_

_ Ichigo didn't know if Orihime was home, but knew that he wasn't ready to face her. Walking into their bedroom, he saw her standing in front of a few suitcases on the bed._

"_What are you doing?" Ichigo asked, already knowing the answer._

"_I'm moving out," she said calmly._

"_Where to? You don't-" Ichigo stopped._

"_You've figured it out. I'm moving into Ulquiorra's _two _bedroom apartment," she announced, emphasizing the two._

"_That's not surprising," Ichigo scoffed as shed zipped her final suitcase._

"_You know, Ichigo, I was completely faithful to you because you always had my heart, but I can't forgive you for Rukia," she said shaking her head. "Not now."_

_ Stacking her suitcases she stood in front of him. She took a hold of his hand and placed a simple, sparkling engagement ring in it."This is goodbye."_

_ Part of her thought he'd go after her, but she shut the door and waited five minutes for him, tears flowed as it dawned on her._

_ He wasn't coming after her._

_Without a doubt_

_I know now_

_How it outta be_

_Now she's gone_

_And it's wrong_

_And it bothers me_

_Tomorrow I'll still be askin' myself_

Ichigo decided it was time to leave, and quietly slipped away. On his way out he began to berate himself for his stupidity and jealousy. "It could've been me dancing with her, marrying her; it should've been me. I screwed everything up." He knew that this had to be wrong. He should've gone after her.

"Ichigo," a soft voice called after him.

Turning, Ichigo smiled as he saw Orihime rushing to him in her white princess dress, and thought his dream was about to come true.

_How was I supposed to know_

_She was slowly letting go_

_If I was putting her though Hell_

_Hell, I couldn't tell_

_She could've given me a sign_

_And opened up my eyes_

_How was I suppose to see_

_She never cried in front of me_

"How did you know it was me?" he asked for the second time that night.

She smiled. "I saw you before I started to walk down the aisle, plus, I'd notice your spiritual pressure anywhere, even if you're trying to hide it."

"So you know the entire time?" She nodded. "Oh. Look, I know I haven't tried to talk to you in the past two years, but all night I've been thinking about us. What happened between us, and I wanted you to know how sorry I am; I mean for Rukia, my birthday, the roses, all of it. I know we should be together," Ichigo pleaded.

Orihime didn't answer, but leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Goodbye Ichigo," she said, turning to leave.

And as she walked back up the path to her reception, one more tear, the last she'd ever cry for him, fell.

_Hell, I couldn't tell.

* * *

_**Eh, I tried. ****Funny thing though, I don't like this song, like at all. I was flipping some old magazine at my grandparents house and, after reading the lyrics, this popped in my head.**

**This was my Songfic, and I'm not exactly sure I did it right, so tell me what you think. **


End file.
